The present disclosure generally relates to the field of analytical sample processing and, in particular, to the field of analytical sample processing comprising a system and method for storing and retrieving of vessel holders.
In automated clinical analyzers liquid samples, such as bodily fluids, can be tested by various clinical-chemical and immunochemical methods. Modern analyzers typically can be loaded with many samples in a batch-wise manner in order to process the samples of one batch automatically. With commercially available analyzers, the samples typically can be loaded into a dedicated loading space so that the number of samples which can be fed to the analyzer by one batch usually cannot be increased without enlarging the overall dimensions of the analyzer.
In daily routine, however, a situation may arise where more samples than can be fed into the analyzer by one batch are supposed to be processed. Hence, the technician has to distribute the samples over multiple batches and consequently has to wait until a running batch is ready to be removed from the analyzer before the next batch can be fed into the analyzer. However, this course of action needs much attention by the technician and is rather time consuming as each batch must be handled individually. Furthermore, it can lead to unoccupied times of the analyzer since the technician is not always available to attend to the analyzer right after the stop of an on-going run. Furthermore, with conventional analyzers, samples normally cannot be localized and removed from the analyzer until the on-going run is completed.
Therefore, there is a need to improve feeding and removing of samples to/from the analyzer in order to increase or decrease the capacity of samples that can be fed into the analyzer according to the specific demands of the user without affecting the overall dimensions of the analyzer as well as to localize the individual samples before being loaded into the analyzer.